Kenji

Did you know?

A few things about Kenji you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Kenji

Kenji Mizoguchi

Japanese film director and screenwriter (1898-1956)

Choose Kenji and your child shares a first name with Kenji Mizoguchi, a Japanese film director and screenwriter. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Kenji, like who?” Kenji Mizoguchi's Wikipedia article is available in 51 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Kenji Mizoguchi on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 6,859 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Kenji, 249 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Kenji would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryKenji first shows up in US birth records in 1913, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 112 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1978, when it reached #749.
• 📈Then vs nowKenji is 5.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 37,736 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 6,859.
• 🍂TrendKenji has slipped 33 places over the last five years and now sits at #943. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedKenji is most popular in Hawaii, where it ranks #126, followed by Nevada (#443) and Wisconsin (#484). It's in the top 1,000 in 13 states.

About the name Kenji

Kenji is a boy name. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with K and ending in “-nji”. US birth records list Kenji for boys from 1913 to 2025, in 99 of those 113 years. Its best year was 1978, when it ranked #749 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #943, with 249 babies.